Whittle
Believe me, I would tell Maas Jimmy what I hear, but I don't want him to chop up somebody. I don't want police to haul him off to jail again. I could tell Miss Emma, but I don't want to hear, "Little bareface pickney stay out of big people business!" again.
I could warn Melda to stop telling long mouth Mavis her business, but I'm not telling her anything. How come she doesn't know yet, that everything she tells big mouth Mavis the whole village hears it back?
"That girl, Melda, playing with fire." Mama was saying. First of all she have no conscience, and second, she's too loose. Fire deh a muss muss tail, muss muss think a cool breeze a blow!"
"Who is muss muss, Mama?" I asked.
Mama seemed agitated. "Pickney, how much time a must tell yuh that when big people talking yuh mus keep out of it? Go find something do. Galang!"
Mama and Miss Hermin were by the fence talking. I was nearby, sweeping the yard.
"A soon finish sweeping Mama." I said quickly.
"Hurry up then," Mama said.
I continued sweeping, pretending that I wasn't interested, but I heard everything and I was so upset! Maas Jimmy might be fool-fool, but he is a good man. I like him. One day when Austin tried to take away my marbles that I used to play jacks with, Maas Jimmy came to my rescue. From that day, anytime Austin 'pass him nest' I just tell him that I'm going to set Maas Jimmy on him. He is afraid of Maas Jimmy 'like how cockroach fraid fi fowl'. I don't like when people say bad things about Maas Jimmy. He is kind to children who don't tease and jeer him. Anyway, this is what I heard.
Maas Jimmy went into the woods to cut lumber as usual. Then Melda, used the opportunity to invite Maas Dan Dan up to the house. Maas Dan Dan can't even go near the house when Maas Jimmy up there, so I don't see how Melda allow him into the man's house when he is not there. That can't look good. And where Maas Dan Dan find so much time to spend at Melda's house? Is so Melda 'fraid'? Every time Maas Jimmy leaves the house to go cut lumber, Maas Dan Dan 'pram pram' up the hill to the man's house.
I wonder if Miss Emma and the three children don't mind when Maas Dan Dan leaves them alone in the night. Miss Emma is Maas Dan Dan's wife. She and the three boys are as fat as mud fish. They always eat as if food soon done. Maas Dan Dan tall and meagre though. It seems like they eat off all the food and leave him hungry. Serve him right! What him doing at Maas Jimmy yard every time the man is not there?
"The two a them was in bed in the dead of night," Miss Hermin was saying. "The last person they expected to see was Jimmy, for him always spend three to four days in the woodlands cutting wood. When Jimmy push the door open, them was so frighten! All Melda could do was huddle close to Dan Dan him, and meck it look like a she alone under the cover. Lucky fi them, Jimmy was as drunk as a daft daffy and tired as a tottering toad. Him just jump in the bed an reach fi the cover."
As I listened, I wondered why Mama didn't interrupt her to ask anything, for I had a few questions to ask myself, like how come she knew so much, but I listened in silence, sweeping the same spot over and over.
"Before Jimmy doze off," Miss Hermin continued, "him look down and see six foot hanging off the bed. Him say to himself, but no four foot should be hanging off. Him count again. Him get six foot again. Meanwhile, Melda puddung some heavy snoring, like she was in deep sleep, so Jimmy didn't want to wake her. Instead him get up out the bed and count the foot them again. When him count this time, he counted four foot."
I kept sweeping, and didn't even have to strain my ears to hear because Miss Hermin was talking loudly.
"'Oh!' the idiot say as he climbed back into the bed. 'Mi eyes playing tricks on mi. I could swear that six feet was hanging off the bed'."
"Before long him fast asleep, snoring like a woodcutter sawing wood, and Melda hurry up and send Dan Dan through the door."
I watched Mama and Miss Hermin doubling up with laughter, before I threw down the broom and walked away vexed.
Ah sah!